Darkening Hopes
by Lollipopswilltakeover
Summary: Percy's and Annabeth's journey through Tartarus. Their desperation, issues, and fears. There is no place worse then Hell, not even close. How will they survive?


The world seemed to be falling down around him... Or was it flying up? Was he going left? Right? Up? Down? Percy didn't know of anything except a harsh wind and a feeble hand that belonged to his girlfriend. They were spinning and flipping through the air, their hands never leaving the other's. It was all they had.

Gods, how long had they been falling? Percy shivered, his free hand feeling for his pen. It was still in his pocket, which reassured him slightly. Whatever awaited them at the bottom of this seemingly endless hole couldn't be good. He had to to ready.

Percy pulled Annabeth to his chest. Her eyes were closed, face serene. Like she was trying to figure out a way out of this predicament. He gently stroked her hair, and a quick ghost of a smile appeared upon her face before vanishing. That one reaction let Percy know she was more nervous then she was letting on. Terrified. Out of everything they had experienced, Percy knew that their trip to Tartarus would easily top them all. Bury them, top them so that their past brushes with death would seem like a dream.

They were going to Hell. _Hell_. The place were criminals went, where Kronos had resided, Gods knew what else. And they were going there. Percy felt helpless, like he could do nothing. Everything was making him more confused.

As they fell deeper, Percy's nose tingled. He smelt rusted blood and rotting flesh. Pleasant. He heard Annabeth whimper. "It's gonna be okay, Percy. It will be okay. We're not dead yet," she tried, her voice hopeful. Percy smiled. She was perfect, only she would be able to cheer him up at a time like this. She still amazed him.

"I know, I know. It's just..." Percy trailed off, and Annabeth nodded. She understood. "We don't know what to expect, you? It's going to be like nothing we've ever experienced before."

"We'll experience it together." And then she kissed his lips, ever so gently. Percy smiled, and then he felt his back hitting burning, hard ground. It was like his flesh was singed off, but there was no physical damage. Annabeth landed atop him, still kissing him. She seemed okay, just a bit shaken.

"Gods, you okay?" Percy broke the kiss. She nodded.

"Think so. Nothing's broken, at least not yet," she replied grimly. Percy nodded, then stood up. He got his sword at the ready and observed his surroundings. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, nor dreamed.

The air was hot and rusty. The blackened ashes of what once was dirt was soaked in blood, like a swamp. Everything was dirty, and Percy was finding it hard to breathe. Ash fell like raindrops. The simple act of breathing hurt, he was terrified what would happen if they were injured. Every couple seconds a mini earthquake occurred, showing lava below the black ground. If this was what Tartarus was, then Percy feared what the monsters would be like. Still, he tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Come on, Owl Head. We need to get moving," he joked, trying to get a smile out of her. All he got was a grim nod. Annabeth armed herself with her dagger. She had had a small square of ambrosia to heal her ankle.

"Where are we gonna go?" she asked, barely keeping her panic out of her voice.

"Uh..."

"Where are the Doors of Death?" Annabeth asked slowly. Percy would've smacked himself on the head, but he knew that wouldn't be very smart.

"I think they're this way. It's very confusing, you know? It all changes when you go down under, I guess. We have to go towards that blue light. You see? It's very feint, but we can get there." Under his breath, Percy muttered, "Hopefully alive." Annabeth started for the soft blue light. Percy trailed after her.

They would succeed, no matter what. They had to get to the Doors of Death before they were locked in Tartarus forever.

* * *

"Annabeth, you okay? She take any bites out of you?" Percy shouted as he ran as fast as he could, sending quick glances behind him when he could. The Lamia was still hot on their trail, teeth bared. Her bloodied strips of black hair flew about as she ran after them. Her skin was a caked brown-red, possibly from eating little children.

"Nope, not yet," she replied. The Lamia was a sort of vampire thing that ate children. Apparently she had raised her standards to teens, too. And he guessed she hadn't eaten in a _really_ long time.

"Come back here, heroes, you look delicious!" she hissed, running after them. Percy swung his sword and took a jab at her, but just missed. If he got any closer, she would eat him. But, they would eventually run out of energy. So, he stopped running and swung. She disappeared into a grainy dust and vanished with a sick smile.

From what Percy had gathered, when you kill something in Tartarus, it just appeared somewhere else in Tartarus. And it would be immobile for at least a few hours. But then they un-freezed and came back for them.

Annabeth stopped running, the both of them panting heavily. "How much longer until we're there?" he asked, walking towards her. Annabeth squinted her eyes at the mean-looking light.

"All depends on how many monsters we encounter. But if we make good time, 10 hours," she replied tiredly. Annabeth suddenly fell, wincing in pain. "Oh Gods." Percy slid to the ground right next to her, a worried crease in his brow.

They were both covered in dirt, ash, and grime. His hair was practically gray, that's how much ash there was. Cuts and bruises covered most of their bodies, and they only had a the tiniest bits of ambrosia and nectar left. They had conserved it carefully. It wasn't used unless the wound was deadly.

Annabeth's shin was twisted at a hideous angle. It was bleeding, blackened around the edges. Percy's stomach dropped. He realized that she must have gotten that at least a day ago. Probably when they had been fighting the half-formed demon thing that even Annabeth didn't know the name of. The demon had a wicked kick and shot fire from his mouth and palms. It hadn't been pretty, and right after that the Lamia had attacked. They hadn't checked for wounds, like they usually did. She had ran with that... Oh gods.

"Annabeth," Percy began, gently brushed some ash from her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't have the time," Annabeth explained guiltily. "Percy, it's not deadly, I'll be fine." He forced some ambrosia into her mouth, a little over three quarters of a piece. He ate the rest, and minor cuts and bruises healed. Her leg stopped bleeding, and the skin repaired itself, but he could see the bone was still broken. Percy reached for more to give her, but Annabeth's hand stopped him. "This is all we have left. I'll be fine, we can just make a splint or something." In the distance, they heard monstrous noises, signaling they had to get a move on it.

"There's no time," he replied. Percy picked her up and got her on his back, piggy-back style. Annabeth protested, but he didn't listen. "You either eat the ambrosia, or this. Your choice."

Annabeth sighed. "Fine, carry me. If we slow down, I'll eat it. I can't believe I'm going to jeopardize our chance at getting out of here." Percy felt the tiniest grin on his face, and started to move as quickly as possible using the least amount of energy. They needed him to save it for the last run.

As the howls of their next foes drew closer, Percy hurried up. He couldn't Annabeth die. They were so close, it would be to ironic and bitter if they died now. Percy tripped over a rock, sending Annabeth onto the ground next to him. He helped her up.

Instead of putting her back on his back, he put her arm around his neck to support Annabeth. They ran as fast as they could.

So close... So close... So close...

The blue lightning broke through the dark sky, illuminating their dark path. Percy looked to it for hope, their only way out. So close, yet so far. They had to get there. They would get there. He wouldn't let them die there.

He gritted his teeth and hurried his pace. He speeded up, partially holding Annabeth up. How long had they been running? Annabeth had said they had 10 hours, roughly. Gods, where were they? They would eventually drop dead tired or fall asleep. Either way it wasn't good. They had to break. Percy's eyes darted across the barren landscape for a temporary shelter. A place they could rest for a least 2 hours.

Finally, he found it: A small opening in a rock big enough for him and Annabeth. From what he could see, it was a nice size, big enough for both of them to lay down. He dragged them towards it and jumped in.

"Percy, where are we?" Annabeth whispered, her voice dry and scratchy. Percy realized his voice probably sounded the same way. He took out the water they had and handed her some. In the beginning, they had 7 full water bottles. The little water in Tartarus usually contained ash, making it undrinkable. At one point they had found a small pond where they refilled the bottles and then washed. The water left over turned an ashy gray.

"We're safe. We're safe," he muttered, taking a swig of the bottle Annabeth handed back to him. He gave a kiss on the forehead. Annabeth gave him the faintest ghost of a smile possible. It was better then every Christmas morning combined, seeing her smile. "Sleep, Owl Head. We need to rest." And then they fell asleep, holding each other.

* * *

"Annabeth?" Percy shook his girlfriend gently. He felt guilty for waking her from the only peace they had in Hell. Even the little calmness peace brought was usually plagued by nightmares and dreams. Annabeth awoke from her sleep, grey eyes wide and alert. "We have to get moving. It's only a little bit farther." She nodded, wincing slightly as she stood up.

At his concerned look, she brushed him off. "I'm fine, Percy. No worries. We're almost there, as you said. We can fix it once we get back, okay?"

They climbed out of their mini cave, and restarted their trek once more. He was surprised that nothing had caught their scent when several things growled. Things big and deadly. Percy recognized one of them, but only one. The Minotaur was in Tartarus, and this time he brought his buddies with him. "RUN!" Percy shouted, lugging Annabeth along with him. She sent a quick, panicked look over her shoulder and then ran with him.

The Minotaur screeched when he caught their scent. Percy's eyes remained straight ahead, the gates looming in front of them. So close... So close...

As they got closer, he could just make out images of the other side. A battle, a very bad battle. The faces of his worried friends occasionally appeared in the gates. The gates were still opened, but closing fast. They had to move even faster. He sped up, trying to keep them going. Annabeth winced with every jostle. She was being so strong. Percy felt a twinge of guilt for causing her so much pain, but they both knew they had to get out of there. And fast.

"Annabeth?" he panted, his eyes never leaving the path in front of them.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, no matter what. You hear me? I love you."

"I love you too, Percy. We're almost there. There is no need for goodbyes. We'll get out of here alive." Her voice was doubtful on the last part. Percy wished he could comfort her somehow, but the only way he could do that was if he got them out of there.

"I wasn't saying goodbye, Annie. I was just saying the truth. We'll be okay, Annabeth." The scurried up the rest of the path.

Percy's determination bloomed, and he felt something he hadn't felt in however long they had been down there. Hope. Pure hope.

As the gates grew closer to closing, fear sprouted up. They might be leaving Hell, but whatever awaited them on the other side of the gates sure wasn't Heaven. It was war, and they would have to fight. But they would be okay. They would be alive. They would be together.

And that was all he thought of as they crashed through the Doors of Death, into the war that awaited them on the other side.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. **

**So, what did you guys think? Thanks for reading, guys. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. **


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